People For and Against Restricted or Unrestricted Expression

Discover the different arguments surrounding issues of censorship and freedom of speech through the eyes of those who are actively involved. What are the issues that surround freedom of expression? What inspires people to take on the different causes surrounding filtering or free expression? How do people vary in their views on what the First Amendment guarantees? Students will be encouraged to think critically as they discover there are no black-and-white answers to these and other questions raised throughout this fascinating collection of profiles of individuals active in the various pro/con aspects of censorship. Readers will be introduced to all kinds of people, from feminists arguing different points of view concerning pornography, to those who feel they are following their religious calling in censoring what they consider to be harmful material, to those who believe no one can clearly define what is harmful and what is not. Fifty individual stories written about those who are on the frontlines, fighting for what they believe, bring the controversies surrounding filtering and freedom of expression into sharp focus. The personal elements of these entries help to provide a broad perspective and to elucidate why people often have very strong feelings about our First Amendment rights and what they guarantee. The introduction to the volume, which explores the history of the First Amendment and the different aspects of censorship, provides the reader with a thorough grounding in the issues.